IF you have eyes and ears then you have to know about all the bad examples of leadership that have been on display by the Governor who is just waiting for the trial and the previous Republican Legislature who refused to tell us what they did with OUR money and refused to investigate (hold accountable) the Governor. So, I hope the overwhelming majority of voters will have to agree that it is refreshing and even exciting to finally have officials in office who are, to lead by “good-examples” and making “good-trouble” to end the casino corruption — Democrats!
It’s not so much that I love the Democrat Party as it is that “I Love the CNMI” because some readers still seem to think and want to portray me as the enemy, when I’m anything but the enemy. The real enemy in the CNMI is our “poor and awful politics” as a collective because WE the People voted ourselves into having a “corrupt and prejudiced” Government and the sad part is they keep proving it like the Governor just did with public announcement about Article XII. But he didn’t make that announcement for everyone, ONLY those who somehow think Article XII can remain intact out of pure ignorance not knowing it’s just a matter of time before the Feds step in like they did with wages, CWs and Immigration. But this is the CNMI where being ignorant can be “bliss” (paradise) for too many so the Governor literally “PREYS” on these voters with his leadership example of “maintaining a racist stance for Locals” when the CNMI needs Liberal and Equitable examples of leadership — Democrats.
Now buckle your seat belt for this one, as the Governor is “gaslighting the use of the half/billion in Federal funds by shifting the reprogramming authority to the Finance Secretary” who by law only carries out the Laws and programing decisions of the Governor — who on planet earth does the Governor think he is fooling! OMG, he is using the shroud of an “emergency” to manipulate these millions of dollars that should have been budgeted by the House of Representatives. Nothing really changed by giving the reprogramming authority to the Secretary of Finance especially when the Governor has told us-folks-in-the-cheap-seats anything nor identified anything of substance that he intends to do with these hundreds of millions and even if he did it’s all reprogrammable — what an example of an autocracy governing in our Democratic-Republic. I shouldn’t have to tell voters about the need for the CNMI to truly function like a real Democratic-Republic led by Democrats.
While there are those who think the Democrats example of not having a Public Hearing for H.B. 22-33 that places real accountability over half/billion dollars that they somehow violated the law that requires Public Hearings before a Bill can become Law. I beg to ask, does the meeting have to be held under the auspices of the Legislature to be recognized because there were many Public Meetings during the election season about “the inability to TRUST the Governor and even Republicans.” One of the results from these public gatherings during election season was a “Public Mandate for the Governor to be placed in CHECK and held accountable.” You would have to be living on the mainland or Mars to not know our Governor can’t be trusted. Furthermore, what citizen in their right mind would not want the Governor held accountable. But these same people crying foul now about a public hearing for a Bill that creates accountability FOR the People didn’t say a SINGLE WORD when the Republicans literally RAMED the Casino down our throats in one week without a Public Hearing or any Public Notice that totally disrespected the PEOPLE’s two NO-votes — “talking about the kettle calling the pot black,” a sad and even pathetic joke from my culture that is truly fitting & proper for these hypocrites!
Democrats lead by good examples like the Town Hall they just conducted in Kagman where not only were Precinct 5 Representatives there but the Speaker and other Democrats who are NOT afraid to face the People and be held accountable — KUDOS to them and I truly admire your courage. Democrats are “doing what their constituents want” without having to be told in a formal hearing on what they have already been told over and over in person by voters. Unlike Republicans who could care less about what WE think which is why I keep reiterating that “if We the People don’t learn our lessons taught to us in our own history, WE are bound to continue making the SAME mistake” — of electing Republicans who didn’t have a single Public Hearing before making the Casino Law that also cheated the people out of taxes and now IPI is holding 57 million of OUR money in Community Chess Funds that we may NEVER get now and that’s just some of what they owe — PLEASE WAKE-UP voters, they have played on us ENOUGH!
Besides, who in their right-mind is against HB 22-33 anyway unless you don’t want the Governor to be held accountable to YOU for spending YOUR Money! And please stop crying about a “tie-breaker rule” that was created by Republicans who thought they might need it but didn’t but time Democrats use it they are somehow wrong — all opposition roads to Democrats are leading right back to the same old Republican hypocrisy again and again.
I also see the Governor is finally trying to use his Press Secretary to try and justify his actions ONLY after Rep. Ed Propst called him out on Facebook. Deflecting issues and gaslighting what the Governor has done still didn’t address the issues raised by Rep. Propst but I know all the Governor wanted was some “Headlines to try and change the narrative” as if Rep. Propst is just “ranting and raving like a crazy man” when in reality he is a Representative who speaks TRUTH & FIDELITY to OUR Constitution, the People and his job as I’m sure he has just seen ENOUGH and he is not alone and the Governor KNOWS it which is why he had to respond. But one thing was CLEAR, the Governor’s Press Secretary could not say Rep. Prost was a lie so he deflects by labeling Rep. Propst and gaslights the issues labeling them as only “complaints” which did NOT objectively address the issues raised by Rep. Propst that were too many to mention in this editorial. But KUDOS to Rep. Propst and keep up with the “Good Examples of the Governor’s failures, fighting the Good Fight FOR the People’s Accountability and making “Good Trouble for a Governor who literally has one foot in a jail-cell” — RICO is Coming Soon!
But you can bet We the People don’t have to worry about the Democrats being bad examples of misusing OUR Money and refusing to hold the Governor accountable, which incidentally is one of the PRIMARY functions of the House of Representative along with holding onto the “Purse” (money) of the CNMI. The Majority in the House are really doing their job ANYTIME it comes to the purse of the CNMI and the People truly need to be THANKFUL! We the People need to be supporting the Democrats and even hoping and praying WE can elect MORE of them come “Decision Day 2021,” as given the CNMI’s deplorable state, it will be the biggest decision made by CNMI voters since approving the Plebiscite (referendum) to become a U.S. Commonwealth!
To be continued: One People One Direction.
The writer is a retired teacher, former CNMI Board of Education Member, James Madison Fellow (U.S. Constitutional Scholar), a Fulbright-Hays & Humanities Scholar who resides in Kagman III.
The head-rest of George Washington’s “Rising Sun” chair.
File photo
